What Edge Do Startups Still Have Against OpenAI?

James Sun says the moat startups still have against OpenAI is speed and pain. He and Ari Weinstein were startup founders before they joined OpenAI, and he is still bullish on startups.

Two openings remain. There is still a huge amount to build. OpenAI has thousands of people and still feels stretched thin, because the teams are not very big for all the problems. A founder who deeply understands a problem, knows the industry, understands how regulation works, knows the go-to-market motion, and knows how to service customers is still looking at a green field. Tools through the APIs, including computer use, let that founder accelerate.

Many vertical industries are also adopting AI much more slowly. He talked with a company that uses computer use to help restaurant groups. Someone photographs the back storage. Vision estimates what will be missing from a projection of tomorrow's traffic. Computer use then opens Shopee or other procurement software and orders groceries for the next day. It then enters the ERP and adjusts the employee timetable, because last year at the same time of day a holiday brought much more traffic. Restaurant groups are often not tech companies already familiar with the tools.